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Former Zionsville gymnastics coach accused of inappropriately touching 3 young girls during training

Posted at 9:25 PM, Nov 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-18 00:06:39-05

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. -- A former gymnastics coach in Zionsville is accused of touching at least three different young girls inappropriately while training them. 

The children, whose ages range from 10 to 12 at the time, were all coached by Kenneth Arnold, 28, at InterActive Academy. 

InterActive Academy is a recreational complex that specializes in multiple activities including gymnastics, cheerleading and dance.

According to Court Documents Zionsville Police were first notified of the allegations against Arnold in January 2016 after a young girl reported that he had touched her under her leotard during training. After InterActive Academy informed parents of that initial situation police say two other children came forward with similar complaints. 

The incidents all happened between October 2013 and December 2015. 

Court documents reveal that questions regarding Arnold's contact with children started in 2015 after another person at the academy reported Arnold for touching students more than they felt was necessary and tickling them when he helped them off of the mat. 

Arnold was arrested on Thursday and charged with two counts of child molestation and one count of battery. 

Interactive Academy released the following statement:

In January 2016, InterActive was contacted by law enforcement regarding a parent's allegations that one of our coaches, Andy Arnold, had improper contact with a student during practice. Since that time Mr. Arnold has not been at our facility, and he is no longer employed by InterActive Academy. We promptly informed parents about the situation, as our first priority is to ensure the health and well-being of the children and families we serve.  

InterActive cooperated fully with law enforcement during the investigation of these allegations. We have confidence in the criminal justice system and will continue our full cooperation with the involved authorities. We do not have any additional information to add at this time.